In 1948 Glen Bell was running Bell’s Drive-In, a hot dog stand in San Bernardino, California, while lines wrapped around the Mitla Cafe across the street for its dorado tacos, corn tortillas folded around meat and fried whole. After struggling to copy them, he was invited into the cafe’s kitchen and taught the technique by its head chef, and the Mitla Cafe still operates today. From 1951 he tested stands under names like Taco Tia and El Taco. On July 6, 1962, he opened the first Taco Bell in Downey: a 400 square foot building with mission-style arches, a walk-up window, no seating and every item, from tacos to a loose meat chili burger, priced at 19 cents.

Former police officer Kermit Becky bought the first franchise in 1964 and opened in Torrance in 1965. The 100th store opened in Anaheim in 1967, and in 1968 store 258 in Springfield, Ohio, crossed the Mississippi. Bell sold to PepsiCo in 1978, which converted regional chains such as Taco Charley, Pup N’ Taco and Zantigo into Taco Bells, dropped much of the original architecture in 1984 and retired the chili burger, briefly renamed the Bell Beefer. The chain later became part of Yum Brands, launched Doritos Locos Tacos with Frito-Lay in 2012, and twice failed in Mexico. In 2015 it saved the original Downey building from demolition and trucked it 45 miles to its Irvine headquarters.

• A 1992 launch in Mexico City closed within two years, and a 2007 Monterrey attempt that added french fries closed by 2010.
• Taco Bell opened Cantina locations with DJs and alcohol and performs weddings at its Las Vegas flagship.
• The Bell, a 2019 pop-up hotel in California, booked out in two minutes.
• In August 2025 the company scaled back AI drive-through ordering after the system accepted an order for 18,000 waters.
• Users also found they could order McDonald’s items through the AI, which refused simple swaps like beans for meat.